For its fourth year in a row, the Media Arts Club will host the SUNYWide Film Festival (SWFF) starting Thursday, Nov. 8 through the weekend for students across the system of the State University of New York who will showcase their talent through film and video.

The festival includes film and video showings and two workshops open to students and community members.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, the festival will finish with a "Best of the Fest" event announcing winners in several categories of film making.

American Storyboard Artist Marc Baird will be the juror. He has worked on over 60 motion pictures and is known for films such as 21 Jumpstreet, The Tree of Life, Daredevil, Grindhouse, Lethal Weapon 4, Night at the Museum, and Spy Kids. His work includes storyboards for television, video games, commercials, music videos, theme park attractions, and book illustrations. Working exclusively on a digital platform since 2000, he incorporates animatics and motion capture into the art of storyboarding.

Workshops

This year, the SWFF is conducting two free hands-on workshops open to students and community members.

The first is a light painting workshop on Friday, Nov. 9, immediately after the second student showcase screening, starting at approximately 10 a.m. It will be led by Media Arts Club students who will inform participants on the concepts and techniques of long exposure photography and painting with light.

The second workshop, "Storyboards in the Digital Age of Hollywood," will be given by Marc Baird on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. in McEwen Hall, room 106. The workshop will address the preproduction process of filmmaking, with special attention to storyboard creation and usage.